When thousands of Floridians tried to evacuate from Hurricane Irma last year, traffic jams and fuel shortages slowed them down and fired them up. After the release of two Florida Department of Transportation reports on ways to alleviate those delays and gas shortages, Gov. Rick Scott said he was directing the state transportation agency to implement fixes to improve the state's hurricane evacuation routes. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

In St. Petersburg you can pick up a cup of locally roasted coffee on your walk to work and stroll for a local brew on the way home. This is a city in the sunshine, all year round. No time for boredom on weekends as there’s always a concert, a festival, a play or a professional baseball or soccer game all no more than a bicycle ride away. Full report here.[Sponsored]

Despite the wild swings in the price of Bitcoin, or perhaps because of them, Florida consumers are eager to get in on the action. They like the ease of use, speed of transactions and the anonymity. And a growing number of local businesses are eager to serve them. [Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel]

Florida’s economy is set grow in 2018, experts say

Florida’s economy grew in 2017, and that positive momentum should continue in 2018, according to economists and business data experts who spoke to a crowd of about 500 Realtors® at the 2018 Florida Real Estate Trends event. Dr. Tony Villamil, founder and principal advisor of The Washington Economics Group said, "Florida is growing faster in terms of employment growth than the rest of the U.S., which is good for Florida real estate." More in the story from Florida Realtors®.

In the past six months, the Cuba travel industry has been hit by a triple whammy of adverse events: U.S warnings and advisories against traveling to Cuba stemming from mysterious health episodes affecting diplomats, a Category 5 hurricane that battered tourism facilities, and confusing statements and restrictions from the Trump administration on travel to the island. [Source: Miami Herald]

› Florida: Cold snap killed 35 manatees statewide in January[AP] 35 manatees across Florida died as a result cold stress syndrome from Jan. 1 to Jan. 26, according to a preliminary report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This was five times as many deaths compared to the same time in 2017.